For those not familiar with this location, it was most recently known as the Black Rice Izakaya, offering up Japanese fusion tapas bites with Korean influences on the outskirts of downtown. I was a fan of the cuisine and their fun fusion drinks. I have stated several times before that if they were closer to my home and neighbourhood, they would see me either frequent the restaurant, or order delivery from them regularly. So I was sad to see that Black Rice has shuttered its doors, admitting it is a hard location to crack. However, the new restaurant opened in its place has won me over too.
This is Ju, Asian fusion fine dining. It stands out and stands alone, as nothing I have seen/or and tried before. Definitely a destination with driving to, for food you will not find elsewhere.
For those who have been to its predecessor, you can immediately spot the differences stepping in. Gone are the wall of tall beer bottles in the window, adding darkness and a more rowdy atmosphere to the open room. The bamboo separators, dark tables, and overall motif have switched to some thing a lot more well lit and chic. This is most noticeable in the washroom with white porcelain fixtures, accented in gold. Including a gold toilet flusher, gold trimmed garbage can, and gold coloured paper towel dispenser.
As is often the case with such fine dining properties, the menu is trim, a one page of familiar names and ingredients, but honestly you need a guide to explain it all to you.
What is listed as Galbi isn’t what you know it to be, nor is the Bibibop what its name suggests. What I can tell you is that everything we tried, we enjoyed as a group of four, unanimously. We had 3/4 of the menu, focussing on recommendations from the owner, pulling out dishes that sets Ju apart, and that you really can’t find at other restaurants.
You know it is fancy when you begin with an expanding wet wipe, freeze dried and activated with hot water, table side.
Drinks first. Black Rice always had a great cocktail listing, considering they were branded as an Izakaya, which is a Japanese style late night spot for drinking and small bites. Here Ju focusses more on fine spirits and bottles of wine. I would describe them as simple and elegant. Familiar cocktails and flavours given a facelift.
As a table, we shared a bottle of Lambrusco. For those unfamiliar, this is sparkling red wine, and it is so easy to drink. Great if you like a full body red and the effervescence of a sparkling, where you can have them together. The the result is an airy beverage that pairs well with likes of red meat and spicy pastas.
The Lavender Haze was a stunning cocktail in a gentle purple hue, with a sprig of dried lavender to scent and follow the flavour. Empress Gin, Lemon, and Egg White it tasted exactly as it looked. A floral bouquet that was not booze-forward.
Keeping in colour theme, the Sugar Jade delivered on its name as well with this bold Teal colour and sugar rim. Grey Goose, Pineapple, and Lemon. This was a citrusy and zippy cocktail, sweet and easy to take down.
This was essentially a watermelon Mojito, which they called a Melonito. Rum, Watermelon Ice cube, Lime, and Mint. It was a refreshing combination of mint and fruit, with additional melon juice frozen as an ice cube, so as your drink melted, the flavour remained constant.
For appetizers majority of the plates come in threes or twos, so we made a special request to have four bites made so each of us could have our own. So be warned, the following may not appear the same in my photos, as when you order them.
With French meets Japanese we started with the most enjoyable beef tartare I have had to date. I like the idea of eating raw beef, but often find the texture less appealing. However, with the collection of sauces and seasonings here, all pre-scooped into a crispy tart crust, this was appetizing in one bite. Lean, and delicate with a light soy flavour. This is probably the best beef tartare I’ve had date. Yuk-Hwei Tartlet with certified prime angus beef tartar, korean pear, doen-jang powder, and miso aioli with aged gan-jang.
In contrast, we had thin slices of chewy beef from the Bulgogi Toast. Marinated and Charcoal grilled Certified Prime Angus Beef on a Toasted Brioche with a Roasted garlic aioli, and Aged Gan-Jang; topped with a Scallion salad and Yuzu citrus dressing. Folded as such, you can’t really make out the quality, but do get an amazing tenderness from the barbecued meat. This was juicy meat worthy of highlight, whereas traditional bulgogi is hidden behind a noodle, rice, or pungent broth. Here, it was enhanced by the peppery greens and allowed to stand out in contrast to the dry, crusty bread. Very well done.
The owner was very proud of their Mandu, Korean style dumplings that looked like tortellini. Each made in house from the wrapper to the filling, and even the dipping sauce. Dumplings stuffed with green courgette, King oyster mushroom, Mandu Jus, Sesame powder, and Perilla panko. Served on a plate of three, we had the fourth brought to us in a shot glass. As is, I found the filling bland and dry, in need of the sauce that pooled at the bottom of the plate and accompanied by the grilled woodsy mushroom and fragrant chives. I wish the meat was more seasoned or allowed to marinade in soy sauce more.
The Beef Tsukune is Charcoal grilled Certified angus beef meatball with Soy tare sauce. Like a dressed up sausage with a centre that is more shredded than ground. It has a bold char throughout with a fantastic crumble for crunch.
One of my favourite dishes of the night was the Crudo, I was not expecting such a succulent piece of fish. Shima-aji crudo, cured Japanese Striped Jack with a Hibiscus sauce, Soy gel, Avocado Puree, and Pickled Cucumber. The flavours matched the delicate presentation that included the vinaigrette being poured table side to the centre of the plate, in pageantry. This dish was so well conceived, that it was best enjoyed with a bit of each element that decorated the plate. My regret was that it only had two pieces per person, of the most tender Hamachi I have ever, or remember having. The texture is amazing, my mouth loved every bit of it wrapped in an acidic vinegary sauce. It also served as a palate cleanser, washing the mouth and bringing out your taste buds.
The Chicken came highly recommended by the owner, who said it was his favourite dish. Once again, top marks for presentation, I have never seen chicken stuffed like this before. And unfortunately, we never figured out what sort of spread that it was sandwiching. Chicken, Lemongrass sauce, Baby Carrots, Brussel sprout, Cherry tomato confit, and Braised Shallot. This is essentially an elevated lemongrass curry dish. I liked the flavours of the curry, but it left me longing for rice or some starch to enjoy it with. Something to best soak up all the excess sauce. Although on that same token the chicken was a little under seasoned and needed the currt to fully coat and offer flavour. Thankfully, there is plenty of it to go around, and the crispy vegetables were a nice accompaniment. However, at the end of the day it is still a curry dish and not what I expected from this menu, nor what I would order from such a restaurant.
The Halibut was so light by comparison. Pacific Oceanwise Halibut, Clam Risotto, Celeriac Puree, and Shiitake with Sweet potato chips. It had a vegetal celery flavour with the fishiness of clam coming through. Not the dish I would order first, given all the other more exciting options.
The Galbi beef short rib was another stunning plate. This was the group’s favourite and their new best seller. I liked how the slices of beef were not uniform, and it almost mimicked mountains surrounding a lake of jus. Certified Angus Beef Short Rib, Pickled pearl onion, Spinach puree, Carrot puree, Potato daikon pave, and Galbi jus. Slow cooked beef, so tender that it was easily sliced through by our butter knife. And as the perfect starchy side, a wonderfully layered potato and radish cake, it was crispy with a feathered texture.
However, my favourite dish of the night was the Mala Gnocchi hybrid. Mara Ong-Simee. Potato Ong-Simee (gnocchi), Mara Cream, Mara Crumble, and an Onsen Egg, topped fresh grated with Parmigiano. It had a dull warming spice from the mala, which is most commonly found as a seasoning in Chinese style hot pot for a spicy tingle. Its creaminess was doubled with a soft boiled egg that you pop open and smeared the dish with its runny yolk. This was so different and unexpected, you can’t really compare it to anything else.
Fun fact, this was originally a play on the Korean style rice cakes tteokbokki. It was quickly rebranded to gnocchi, when feedback was taken from customers who were disappointed that this was not what they know tteokbokki to be. This didn’t have tteokbokki’s signature rubbery chew, and being made from potato, it more closely resembled the Italian-style potato dumplings, gnocchi. However, instead of the regular sized nuggets it is formed into a flattened sheet that absorbed the sauce like a cloth, and that is what I loved about it.
Pyun-yuk is braised and pressed Pork belly, Korean chive, Ssam-jang mayo, Jjang-a-chi (Onion) and Pickled pearl onion. This is a slow cooked whole slab of pork belly, pulled then pressed into a flat base, to be topped like a flatbread pizza. What looked like a work of art was more enjoyable for the eyes than the mouth. A really creative preparation, but you lose all the enjoyable nuance of pork belly, by not being able to cut through it with your own teeth, nor could you make out the fatty bits in the lean pork. This was not my favourite dish.
And be sure to save room for dessert. I was impressed that they don’t have a pastry chef, but the head chef also creates the restaurant’s desserts.
Listed in the order in which you are to eat them. Puff pastry, Lemon curd, and Mango topped with Kong-Garu Powder. The lemon curd is tart and tangy, the ideal Asian style dessert to end the meal. It isn’t too sweet, but more citrus focused, making it a great palate cleanser.
I was surprised by how much I liked the chocolate option, considering I am not a big fan of cocoa. A Chocolate half sphere, Black sesame cake, Vanilla coffee espuma, Dalgona crumb, and Chocolate soil. Like the lemon, this was “Asian level” sweet.
This is chocolate pudding, stored in the fridge to give it an almost creamy gelato-like texture. Topped with a mix of textures from spongy cake to crispy dalgona pieces. The perfect bite had a bit of each on your spoon. We all agreed we could have used more dalgona pieces as the fun, crispyx and sweet bites
In closing we had a fantastic meal. We all agreed that we would like to return and that we would certainly recommend them. Located in an awkward neighbourhood, but honestly they are so worth driving out for. Highly recommend.
Ju
782 Cambie St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2R5
(604) 529-8999
I urestaurant.com
